Backstage

Front Door Redux

So I took the door back to Home Desperate today... Usually returns there are pretty easy, especially so when you have the receipt... Not so today... I had decided to take the door back on principle even though I was most likely building my own jamb now... So I stopped by the return desk first... The woman there seemed awfully put out in having to deal with this, and she called some one in Millwork... So the guy comes from millwork, and gives me the third degree about the door and how it broke, and where, and why.... For the most part, I don't know exactly how it broke, or even where, but I sure knew why... They wanted to exchange it, but I was at the point all I wanted was a door minus the caseing... So the millwork guy and I went back to the doors to see what was available, and what a shock, they don't sell entry doors minus the case... He tries to sell me on the idea of an exchange again, and I told him I would only do that with a discount as I didn't want the case... So he went back to his boss to talk things over.... While he was gone, I looked at the rest of what they had in stock, and it was all damaged one way or another... When he got back, He told me his boss just wanted to exchange it, and would I take some brick moulding as well to make up for the damage... This confused me a bit as the cased doors all come with that moulding already... Clearly this guy was an idiot... So I explained it all to him again, using one of the other doors as a visual aid... I pointed out exactly where the case had broken, and explained the circumstances under which the door had been moved, and the damage discovered again... He seemed to grasp it that time, and was off to talk to his boss again saying he would bring the manager back with him to make things right... (I'm thinking I don't need a manager, I need a refund, but they were playing their car salesperson game, so whatever...) Several minutes later, he's back, minus a manager, and explains that my only options are either take an exchange, or get a refund... Naturally I opted for the refund, so we go all the way back to where I started at refunds... The woman there was shocked to see me, and asked the millwork guy why I wasn't exchanging doors... There was a bit of back and forth again, but I did leave with my refund...
So I headed off to Lowes to see what they had... I didn't bother getting a cart, as I was becoming a bit frustrated, and didn't expect to find the solution there either... Sadly I was right... Everything they had was equally crappy, though there were a few less dents and scratches on the doors...
Now the day was pretty well shot, so I headed over to a real lumber yard in the area... I doubted they would have what I wanted in stock, but since I can't find it quickly at the home centers, I'd rather order it through a decent supplier that knows the various lines....
They pulled out the catalogs, and there was the door I was looking for... They called about pricing and delivery, and it will be in Monday... It costs almost $100 more than the doors from HD or Lowes, but imagine this, the casing is actually solid... It's 1-1/4" thick, rather than the 5/8" you find on the crap from the home centers... If I was to build my own jamb, it would cost me more than that extra hundred bucks in material, and time... Some times you just have to suck it up and lay out the extra cash... Sadly, the home centers are selling lower and lower quality materials, and while they give you a good price, you're going to loose in the long run...